Right now, AFI DOCS is in full swing showing some of the best documentaries in the heart of Washington, DC. It’s a unique and influential festival but this year’s entry is particularly meaningful. That’s because the 2015 festival marks the 50 year anniversary of the origin of AFI in the nation’s capital – right in the White House Rose Garden. AFI leaders, including President & CEO Bob Gazzale and AFI DOCS Director Michael Lumpkin, along with AFI DOCS 2015 filmmakers paid a visit to the White House during the festival. From a White House blog post. 2015 is a momentous year for the American Film Institute. It…

Honorees Announced December 4 Outstanding Achievements in Film and TV Celebrated at Invitation-Only Luncheon on January 3, 2020 Recognizing the year’s most outstanding achievements in the art of the moving image, AFI AWARDS is the American Film Institute’s annual stamp of excellence — celebrating works of significance in both film and television. Submissions for AFI AWARDS 2019 are now being accepted at www.afi.com/afi-awards-submissions/ through Thursday, October 17. Honorees will be announced on Wednesday, December 4, 2019. An invitation-only luncheon celebrating the honorees will follow on Friday, January 3, 2020. AFI is proud to have Audi return as an Official Sponsor…

Festival Celebrates 30th Anniversary with U.S. Premiere of Ricardo Darín’s AN UNEXPECTED LOVE and World Premiere of DAYS OF LIGHT at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center AFI released the full slate of films for the 2019 AFI Latin American Film Festival, which will take place September 12–October 2 at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD. The festival is one of the largest and long-running showcases of Latin America cinema in the U.S., presenting Latin America’s prolific and versatile talent and honoring Ibero-American cultural connections during National Hispanic Heritage Month. This year’s wide-ranging selection…

AFI Alumna Melina Matsoukas’s Feature Film Directorial Debut to Launch 33rd Edition of Festival on Thursday, November 14 The 33rd edition of AFI FEST presented by Audi will open with the world premiere of Makeready and Universal Pictures’ QUEEN & SLIM. Directed by two-time Grammy® winner Melina Matsoukas (AFI Class of 2005) and written by Emmy® winner Lena Waithe from a story by Waithe and James Frey, the film is a consciousness-raising love story that confronts the staggering human toll of racism and the life-shattering price of violence. The film stars Academy Award® nominee Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, Bokeem Woodbine,…

On Opening Day, AFI CEO & President Bob Gazzale and Dean Susan Ruskin welcomed 137 first year Fellows, who will embark on their two-year filmmaker training at the AFI Conservatory. The Conservatory is commemorating the 50th anniversary since it first opened its doors on September 23, 1969, with an inaugural class that included master filmmakers Caleb Deschanel, Terrence Malick and Paul Schrader. Recent alumni include filmmakers as diverse as Patty Jenkins (Class of 2000), Darren Aronofsky (Class of 1992), Rachel Morrison (Class of 2006) and Melina Matsoukas (Class of 2005). 52% of all first and second year AFI Fellows this…

For the second year in a row, screen industry veteran and philanthropist Greg Basser and his wife Kiera O’Neill will generously award the Screen Australia-Onbass Fellowship to an Australian citizen or permanent resident to attend the AFI Conservatory. Basser has been a long-time supporter of the Australian screen industry, and has been instrumental in building opportunities for Australians who endeavor to pursue global careers in entertainment. Not only will the fellowship cover full tuition, but also a living stipend for the recipient to use over the course of their two years of study at AFI. “The AFI Conservatory is recognized…